Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s food security system on Saturday, including strategic commodity stocks, food subsidy programmes, and social protection measures, as officials confirmed that the country’s reserves of essential goods remain at “very reassuring” levels despite ongoing regional tensions.
During a meeting in El Alamein with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Sherif Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk, and Chairman of the Future of Egypt for Sustainable Development Authority Bahaa El-Ghannam, Al-Sisi was briefed on the production, distribution, and strategic stockpiling of essential commodities, according to a statement from the presidency.
Officials informed the president that Egypt’s reserves of key commodities are sufficient to meet domestic demand for safe periods, with stocks of some essential products approaching one year.
The meeting also reviewed the technological infrastructure and operational objectives of the Mostaqbal Misr grain silos complex, which is expected to strengthen Egypt’s food security, increase strategic storage capacity, and enhance the efficiency of grain handling and distribution.
Al-Sisi also reviewed the country’s social protection system, including the Takaful and Karama cash transfer programme, stressing the importance of continuing to prioritise support for the most vulnerable households.
Officials presented a proposed commodity-based cash support programme, describing it as a modern subsidy mechanism that has been adopted, either fully or gradually, in several countries to improve social equity while giving beneficiaries greater flexibility to choose the goods that best meet their needs.
The president also reviewed developments in the ration card system, with Supply Minister Sherif Farouk outlining measures aimed at improving the efficiency of subsidy delivery, ensuring support reaches eligible beneficiaries, and safeguarding their entitlements.
The meeting further examined the subsidised bread system, the operational status of bakeries nationwide, and plans to establish 300 strategic bakeries across the country during the first phase of the project to strengthen the resilience of the bread supply chain.
Officials also reviewed the performance of the National Food Safety Authority in monitoring the quality and safety of food products available on the domestic market.
Al-Sisi stressed the importance of increasing self-sufficiency in strategic commodities, maintaining adequate long-term strategic reserves to help stabilise markets and prices, and strengthening partnerships with the private sector to reinforce Egypt’s food security system.
He also directed the government to continue modernising the country’s subsidy system while ensuring that support reaches the households most in need, the presidency said.
